The Rio Grande above El Paso. Before the construction of the Elephant Butte dam near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, the Rio Grande was unpredictable, prone to flooding, drought and channel-switching. Irrigation canals were necessary for agriculture in El Paso and to help dissipate floodwaters from the Rio Grande. This photo was taken at Canutillo, one of just a handful of communities in Texas lying on the west side of the Rio Grande. Photograph by Susan Dial.